Coupon filing and canceling device



March 17, 1931. J. H. MGEHEE 1,796,873

COUPON FILING AND CANCELING DEVICE Filed Aug. 27, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR ATTORNEYS- J. H. M GEHEE COUPON FILING AND GANCELING DEVICEMarch 17, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 2'7, 192'? NNNNNN ATTORNEY6.

Patented Mar. 17, 1931 UNITED STATES JOHN H. MCGEHEE, OF SACRAMENTO,CALIFORNIA COUPON FILING AND CANCELING DEVICE Application filed August27, 1927. Serial No. 215,948.

My invention relates to improvements in coupon filing and cancelingdevices, and it consists in the combinations, constructions, andarrangements hereinafter described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a coupon filing and cancelingdevice which has novel means for retaining differently numbered couponsin prearranged piles, access being had to the coupons of the variouspiles so that new ones may be added until the piles are complete,whereupon a canceling device is employed for puncturing all of thecoupons in a pile, and for preventing the removal of coupons after theyhave been canceled, without detection.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the typedescribed, in which the various piles of coupons are yieldingly held incontact with each other by a spring presser arm of novel construction,this arm being swingable into inoperative position and beingautomatically retained in this positionuntilthe operator wishes to againrelease the arm. n

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the typedescribed, in which a sealing device is provided for sealing thecontainers holding the coupons after the same have been canceled, orprior to cancellation, if it is desired to shift the coupons from oneplace to another while still uncanceled. V I

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification,and the novel features of my invention will be particularly pointed outin the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a partof this application, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a compartment designed for holdingcoupons;

Figure 2 is a section along the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of one row of coupon-retainingcompartments;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a container designed for holding anumber of rows of compartments; and

Figure 5 is a portion of a data sheet employedfor determining the numberof coupons in a eompartment, and what particular coupon or coupons ismissing.

In carrying out my invention I provide a number of tills 1 having rowsof compartments 2 formed therein, see Figure 3. In the present form ofthe device I provide five compartments 2 in each row, although anynumber can be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of myinvention.

Each compartment is identical and therefore a description of one willsufiice for a description of all.

Reference to Figure 1 shows a perspective view of one of thecompartments, and it will be noted from this figure that thecompartments are each formed of a single strip of material stamped andcut in the manner shown. plate 3, end walls 4; and side retainingmembers 5. The base 3is of the same size as the coupon 6. Note thecoupons in Figure 3. The retaining members 5 have a width equal toone-third the distance of the length of a compartment. This constructionis designed in such a manner as to permit a finger to be insertedbetween the retaining members 5 and end walls 4 when it is desired toremove coupons from the compartment, or add coupons to the compartment,or to check the number on and amount of the individual coupons. The topsof the retaining mem bers 5 are bifurcated and the upper ends are curledor rounded in the manner shown at 7.

The cross portions formed in this manner are aligned as tov height withprojections 8 struck inwardly from the end walls 4. The portions 7 andthe projections 8 aid in retaining the coupons in place. The end walls 4are formed by bending the strip of material back upon itself, as shown,the walls being provided with a cylindrical portion 9 at the topthereof, and with lugs 10 that are bent around the opposite side of thewall for holding the two thicknesses of the wall together, as shown inFigure 1.

Each compartment is provided with a coupon presser arm 11, which isyieldingly held against the uppermostcoupon by a The compartments have abase spring 12. Figure 2 clearly shows how the spring 12 is mounted upona rod 13, which in turn is journalled in the cylindrical portion 9 ofthe end walls 4. The presser arm is journalled on the rod 13 and thespring has one end mounted in the cylindrical memher 9 at 141 and itsother end bearingagainst the presser arm 11 at 15.

It will be noted from Figures 1 and 2 that the cylindrical portion .9has a notch 16 therein for receiving one edge of the presser arm 11,when the arm is swung into inoperative position, as indicated by thedotted lines in Figure 3. The spring 12 performs the double function ofurging the arm 11 downwardly upon the coupons and also of holding thearm in the notch1'6 when the arm is in inoperative position, whereby itis prevented from being swung downwardly. In the first instance thespring 12 actsas a torsional spring and in the second instance it actsas a compression spring.

The coupons may be temporarily placed in the compartments 2, and when apredetermined number have been placed in any one of the compartments,the coupons in that compartment are removed and a cancel-ing member 17is then bent upwardly from the bottom 3 into the dotted line positionshown in Figure 1. The coupons are then replaced in the compartment, andduring the latter operation the coupons are punctured.

The canceling member 17 is also shown in Figure 3, where it will benoted that it punctures all of the coupons in the compartment when thebunch of coupons are forced into the compartment over the cancelingmember, which is pointed for this purpose. The sheet-metal blank fromwhich the compartments are made is so thin that the canceling member 17is bendable by means of the fingels, and maybe bent up or down asdesired.

After all of the coupons of a given till 1 have been disposed in placeand have been canceled, a seal in the form of a plate 18 is extendedoverthe tops of the conmartments 2, and has flanges 1.9,at the ends thereoffor engaging with the end walls of the till. A seal consisting of a wire20, and a lead piece 21 soldered to the wire is passed through openingsin the plate 18 andthe endwalls of the row at each endof the till. Inthis way the row is sealed and the coupons cannot be tampered withwithout detection. H desired, designating slips 22, see Figure 4:, maybe pasted upon the plate 18 over each compartment for indicating thenumbers of conpons in the particular compartment therebeneath.

In Figure at I show a container 23 which is large enough to holdeighttills 1. Eight rows will provide forty (40) compartments. If desired,:the container may be made of a smaller size ora larger size, or may bedis pensed with and the tills after being sealed in the manner alreadydescribed may be placed in a vault or other place of safe keeping. Onthe inside of the cover 24 of the container 23 I mount a data chart 25.A portion of this chart is shown in Figure The chart is provided with anumber of rectangles 2-6 corresponding to the number of compartments 2.Each rectangle is again divided into one hundred (100) squares, andthese squares are numbered from one to one hundred.

As the coupons come in, they are placed in their respective compartmentsand then a .line indicated by :27 is drawn through the number on thechart 25, corresponding to the number of the coupon. In this way theperson can instantly tell the number of coupons in any compartment andexactly what coupons are missing. The container 23 may be sealed bypassing a sealing device, not shown, through lugs 28 when the cover isswung into closed position.

Although I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention, itis to be understood that the same is susceptible of various changes andI reserve the right to employ such changes as may come within the scopeof the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device of the type described comprising a till having a pluralityof couponreceiving compartments, acanceling member carried by eachcompartment and being manually movable into operative or in operativeposition, a closure for said till and extending over the tops of all thecompartments, and means for sealing the closure to the till.

r '2. A coupon filing and canceling device comprising a till having aplurality of coupon-receiving compartments, each compartment having abase and end walls, the sides of said compartments being open thegreater part of their lengths for permitting access to the coupons, aspring arm for each compartment for holding the coupons in place, meansfor holding the arm in inoperative position for permitting the removalof the coupons, and a canceling member carried by the base of eachcompartment and being bendable into operative or inoperative positions.

3. A coupon filingand canceling device comprisinga plurality of tills,each till having a plurality of coupon-receiving compartments, acanceling member carried by each compartment and normally being d-is-*posed in inoperative position, said member being bendable intooperative position, and a closure for each till extending over all ofthe compartments in the till.

4. A coupon filing device comprising plurality'o'f tills, eachtillhaving a plurality of compartments for receiving coupons, -a

closure'for each till adapted to be disposed over the tops of all thecompartments in the till, means for sealing the closure to the till, anda chart for recording the coupons thereon as they are placed in thecompartments, whereby the filed coupons may be readily determined.

5. A till fashioned from a single strip of material and including aplurality of compartments formed by bending the material into a bottomand end walls, the end walls of one compartment being abutted againstthe end walls of the adjacent compartments, and projections extendingfrom the wall of one compartment and clamping around the wall of theadjacent compartment.

6. A till fashioned from a single strip of material and including aplurality of compartments formed by bending the material into a bottomand end walls, the end walls of one compartment being abutted againstthe end wall of the adjacent compartment, and side walls integral withthe bottom of each compartment.

7. A coupon filing device comprising a plurality of tills, each tillhaving a plurality of compartments for receiving coupons a closure foreach till adapted to be disposed over the tops of all of thecompartments in the till, and a chart for recording the coupons thereonas they are placed in the compartments, whereby the filed coupons may bereadily determined.

JOHN H. MGGEHEE.

